Bioscillator



April 24, 1962 S. A. FORTHUN BIOSCILLATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 27, 1960 S/an/ey A. Fort/run INVENTOR. 4052".

Wave; 3M

April 1952 s. A. FORTHUN 3,030,950

BIOSCILLATOR Filed May 27, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 S/anley A. Fart/run 1N VEN TOR.

M4052 B? ym 15m United States Patent 3,030,950 BIOSCILLATOR Stanley A. Forthun, Spring Valley, Wis., assignor to Bioscillator, Inc., Spring Valley, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed May 27, 1960, Ser. No. 32,304 12 Claims. (Cl. 128-44) This invention relates to a novel and useful machine for vibrating a massaging attachment in two perpendicularly disposed planes and will hereinafter be referred to as a bioscillator. The bioscillator is specifically adapted to support, cradle and partially embrace the limb of a patient and impart vibrating movement thereto. In many cases, it is desirableto lightly massage or vibrate limbs and other areas of persons having stiif or sore muscles and the like. This massaging normally must be done by a doctor, his assistant or a competent masseur so that the area being treated will receive the exact desired amount of massaging. Treatment of this type is time consuming, and a doctors time as well as his assistants or a competent m asseurs time is valuable and if prolonged treatment of any appreciable duration is desired, it can be quite expensive to the patient not to mention time consuming for the doctor or his assistant.

It is therefore the main object of this invention to provide a bioscillator capable of being adjusted to produce a vibration of a desired amount so that a doctor may set the bioscillator as desired, begin the treatment and proceed with other tasks until it is time to terminate the treatment.

Another object of this invention, in accordance with the immediately preceding object, is to provide a timer for the bioscillator thereby enabling a doctor or his assistant to begin the desired treatment and then leave the patient to receive his treatment from the bioscillator. The patient, after the timer has turned off the bioscillator, may then see the doctor orhis assistant to receive further instructions before leaving the doctors oflice.

A further object. of this invention is to provide the bioscillator with a resilient cradle which will support and at least partially embrace portions of limbs or other areas of a patient being treated.

A still further object of this invention, in accordance with the preceding objects, is to provide a cradle assembly for the support of a patients limb capable of being adjusted vertically to suit the height of that portion of the patient which is to be treated.

Still anotherobjeot of this invention, in accordance with the preceding objects, is to provide a cradle assembly which will at least partially compensate for the varying dimensions of limbs and other areas of patients supported and vibrated by the bioscillator.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide other attachments for the bioscillator for massaging various portions of a patients body not readily supported by a cradle assembly and thelike.

A final object to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide a bioscillator which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, beof simple construction and easy to operate so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and operable by relatively non-skilled persons.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like'parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the bioscillator positioned alongside a bed supporting a patient, an articulated attachment being shown secured to the bioscillator and positioned over the portion of the patient to be treated and portions of the bioscillator being broken away and shown in section to illustrate more clearly the details of its construction;

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal sectional view on somewhat of an enlarged scale taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 3-3 of FIGURE 1 and showing the manner in which the articulated arm of the attachment illustrated in FIG- URE 1 is pivotally secured to and retained in adjusted positions relative to the supporting shaft of the bioscillator;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially uponthe plane indicatedby the section line 44 of FIGURE 1 and showing the manner in which the supporting shaft of the attachment shown in FIGURE 1 is secured to the bioscillator and.

of the swivel assembly by which the massaging head issecured to the support arm of the attachment illustrated in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of another attachment designed for use with the bioscillator;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of still another attachment adapted for use with the bioscillator; and

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of the upper portion of thebioscillator shown with a still fur-' ther different attachment secured thereto.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates a bed on which a patient 12 is positioned. The patients left arm 14 being that portion which is to be treated by the bioscillator generally.

referred to by the reference numeral 16.

The bioscillator 16 includes a supporting stand generally designated by the reference numeral 18 which is substantially bell shaped and is provided with an opening 20 in the upper end thereof. The supporting stand 18' ally referred to by the reference numeral 24 which extends through the opening 20 and is substantially vertically disposed. The support member 24 includes a hollow elongated rod 26 having a diametrically enlarged collar 28 formed on the upper end thereof and a depending yoke assembly generally referred to by the reference numeral 30 secured to the lower end. A radially extending annular mounting disk 32 is fixedly secured to the rod 26 intermediate its ends in any convenient manner. A flexible diaphragm 34 is provided with a centrally disposed opening (not shown) through which the rod 26 projects. The mounting disk 32 is secured to the surfaces of the diaphragm- 34 adjacent the centrally disposed opening therein by means of suitable fasteners 36. The outer peripheral edges of the diaphragm 34 are secured to the edges of the top panel 38 of the bell shaped supporting stand 18 about the opening 20 by means of fasteners 40. In this manner, it will be noted that the rod 26 is resiliently mounted in a vertically extending position with its lower portion within the bell shaped stand 16 and with its upper end projecting upwardly therefrom.

The yoke assembly 30 includes an inverted generally U-shaped member 42 having its bight portion fixedly secured to the lower end of the rod 26 in any convenient manner such as by Welding 44. The lower ends of the depending legs of the U-shaped member 42 have Patented Apr. 24, 1962' formed integrally therewith a circular clamping member 46 in which any convenient motor means such as electric motor 48 is clampingly engaged. It is to be noted that the motor 48 is provided with a rotating shaft 50' and that the shaft 59 has an eccentrically weighted disk 52 secured thereto. An electrical conduit extends from the motor 48 to a suitable switch 55 mounted on the base 22 that may be connected to a source of electricity by means of electrical conduit 56.

It will thus be noted that upon operation of the motor 48 that the shaft 50 will rotate the eccentrically weighted disk thereby revolving its center of gravity about the longitudinal axis of the rod 26 to effect vibration of the atter. With attention now directed more particularly to FIG- URE 4 of the drawings it will be noted that the upper end of the elongated rod 26 is hollow having a vertically extending bore 58 formed therein. The collar 28 has a threaded bore 60 formed therein which communicates with the bore 58 and in which a setscrew 62 is threadedly engaged.

Numerous attachments may be secured to the upper end of the rod 26. One form of attachment can be most clearly seen in FIGURE 8 of the drawings and is generally designated by the reference numeral 64. The attachment 64 includes a support shaft 66 slidably receivable and rotatable in the bore 58. The amount the lower end of the shaft 66 is received within the bore 58 may be adjusted and maintained by means of the setscrew '62.

The upper end of the support shaft 66 has fixedly secured thereto a cradle assembly generally referred to by the reference numeral 68. The cradle assembly 68 is arcuate in cross section and opens upwardly to receive a portion of a of a patient to be treated by the bioscillator 16. It is to be understood that the upwardly curving sides of the cradle assembly 68 embrace the lower portion of the limb supported thereby to effect a more complete treatment of that limb.

With reference now to FIGURE 7 of the drawings there will be seen a further attachment generally referred to by the reference numeral 70 which also includes a support shaft 66 for engagement with the rod 26. The upper end of the shaft 66 of the attachment 70 is provided with a transversely extending support member 72 for supporting a jointed portion of a patients limb to be treated by the bioscillator 16.

With attention directed to FIGURE 6 of the drawings there will be seen a still further attachment generally referred to by the reference numeral 74 which also includes a support shaft 66 for engagement with the rod 26. The upper end of the shaft 66 in the attachment 74 is provided with a cradle assembly generally referred to by the reference numeral 76 rigidly secured thereto which includes a pair of upwardly opening and diverging arms 78 and 80 which each terminate in open frame-like supporting members 82. The arm 80 is pivoted for movement about an axis extending transversely of the corresponding shaft 66 with the upper end of the arm 80 and the supporting frame 82 carried thereby mounted for swinging movement toward and away from a supporting frame 82 carried by the arm 78 which is rigidly supported by the cradle assembly 76. A flexible sheet member 84 has its opposite ends secured to the supporting frames 82 and it will be noted that a patients limb supported by the flexible member 84 will have at least the entire lower portion thereof embraced by the flexible member 84. The weight of the limb being supported by the flexible member 84 will pivot the arm 86 toward the arm 78 so that the flexible member will embrace at least the lower portion of the limb supported thereby and conform in contour thereto. The arm 80 may be pivotally secured to the cradle 76 by any convenient means such as by pivot pin 86.

With attention now directed more particularly to FIGURES l, 3 and 5 of the drawings, there will be seen an attachment generally referred to by the reference numeral 88 which also includes a support shaft 66.: However, the upper end of the support shaft 66 of the attachment 88 has one end of a support arm 90 pivotally secured thereto by means of a pivot assembly generally referred to by the reference numeral 92. The upper end of the shaft 66 is provided with a transversely extending bore 93 and the adjacent end of the arm 90 is provided with an apertured disk 94. An adjusting screw 96 is passed through the bore 93 and threadedly engaged in the apertured disk 94. The confronting surfaces of the disk 94 and the apertured end of the shaft 66 of the attachment 88 may be provided with knurled surfaces 98 if desired to facilitate the securement of the arm 90 in adjusted rotated positions upon tightening of the adjusting screw 96. Thus it will be apparent that the arm 90 is mounted for pivotal movement about an axis extending transversely of the shaft 66 of the attachment 88.

A massaging head generally referred to by the reference numeral 100 is swivelly connected to the free end of the arm 90 by means of a swivel assembly generally referred to by the reference numeral 102. If it is desired, the head assembly 100 may also include a swivel joint 104.

With particular attention directed to FIGURES 1 and 5 of the drawings it will be noted that the head assembly 109 includes a mounting arm 106 which is pivotally secured to the swivel assembly 102 in the same manner as the outer end of the arm 90 is pivotally secured thereto. The outer end of the arm 90 is apertured as at 108 and the swivel assembly 102 includes a connecting strap having a pivot pin 110 projecting laterally from each end thereof and with the pivot pins disposed at right angles to each other. The pivot pin 110 adjacent the arm 90 is passed through the aperture 108 formed therein and the pivot pin 110 on the other end of the strap is passed through a similar aperture formed in the support arm 106. An adjusting screw 112 is threadedly engaged with the inserted ends of the pivot pins 110 and may be adjusted to maintain the arms 90 and 106 in adjusted rotated positions relative to the strap of the swivel assembly 102.

Thus it may be seen that the attachment 88 may be used to properly position the head 100 over the portion of the patient 12 which is to be treated.

While the telescoping connection between the shafts 66 and the rod 26 may be utilized to adjust the over-all height of the attachments, it will be noted that by adjusting the height of the attachments relative to the rod 26 that the vibration of the attachments may also be adjusted.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A bioscillator for gently massaging and vibrating limbs and other areas of persons having stiff or sore muscles or the like, said bioscillator comprising an upright stand whose upper end defines an opening, an upstanding elongated rigid support member, resilient flexible means secured to said support member and to said stand mounting said support member on said stand with the lower end portion of said support member disposed within the confines of said stand and the upper end portion thereof projecting upwardly through said opening, a vibrator, means rigidly securing said vibrator to said lower end portion, means on said upper end portion adapted to have a massaging attachment attached thereto, said resilient flexible support means comprising the sole support for said support member and supporting the latter on said stand in floating relation relative to said stand.

2. A bioscillator for gently massaging and vibrating limbs and other areas of persons having stiff or sore muscles and the like comprising a supporting stand, a support member, means resiliently mounting said support member on said stand, a vibrator, means rigidly securing said vibrator to said support member, means on said support member adapted to secure a massaging attachment thereto for massaging various areas of a patients body, said supporting stand including a panel having an opening formed therein, said mounting means including a resilient flexible diaphragm, said support member being elongated and secured through a center portion of said diaphragm, the peripheral edges of said diaphragm, a spaced distance from said center portion, being secured to the edges of said panel adjacent said opening, said vibrator carried by one end portion of said support member, said securing means for an attachment carried by the other end portion of said support member.

3. A bioscillator for gently massaging and vibrating limbs and other areas of persons having stifi or sore muscles and the like comprising a supporting stand, a support member, means resiliently mounting said sup port member on said stand, a vibrator, means rigidly securing said vibrator to said support member, means on said support member adapted to secure a massaging attachment thereto for massaging various areas of a patients body, said supporting stand including a panel having an opening formed therein, said mounting means including a flexible diaphragm, said support member being elongated and secured through a center portion of said diaphragm, the peripheral edges of said diaphragm secured to the edges of said panel adjacent said opening, said vibrator carried by one end portion of said support member, said securing means for an attachment carried by the other end portion of said support member, said support member including an elongated rod, said means adapted to secure a massaging attachment to said rod including a hollow end on said other end of said rod, and a setscrew carried by said hollow end for engagement with a portion of an attachment slidably disposed therein.

4. A bioscillator for gently massaging and vibrating limbs and other areas of persons having stifi or sore muscles and the like comprising a supporting stand, a support member, means resiliently mounting said support member on said stand, a vibrator, means rigidly securing said vibrator to said support member, means on said support member adapted to secure a massaging at tachment thereto for massaging various areas of a patients body, said supporting stand including a panel having an opening formed therein, said mounting means including a resilient flexible diaphragm, said support member being elongated and secured through a center portion of said diaphragm, the peripheral edges of said diaphragm, a spaced distance from said center portion, being secured to the edges of said panel adjacent said opening, said vibrator carried by one end portion of said support member, said securing means for an attachment carried by the other end portion of said support member, said vibrator including a motor having a rotating shaft, said rigid securing means including a yoke carried by said one end portion of said support member and mounting said motor with its rotating shaft axially aligned with said support member, an eccentrically weighted disk secured to said rotating shaft.

5. The combination ofclaim 3, including a massaging attachment, said massaging attachment including a support shaft, said rod being substantially vertically disposed, one end of said shaft slidingly received in said hollow end of said rod, the other end of said shaft having an upwardly opening cradle secured thereto for supporting a limb or the like to be massaged.

6. The combination of claim 3, including a massaging attachment, said massaging attachment including a support shaft, said rod being substantially vertically disposed, one end of said shaft slidingly received in said hollow end of said rod, the other end of said shaft having an upwardly opening cradle secured thereto for supporting a limb or the like to be massaged, said cradle including at least two upwardly divergent arms, a flexible sheet member secured betwen said arms and adapted to support and at least partially embrace a patients limb whereby when said vibrator is operating, the limb supported by said flexible sheet will have vibrating movement imparted thereto.

7. The combination of claim 6, wherein the inner end of at least one of said arms is mounted for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis extending at right angles to said arms.

8. The combination of claim 3, including a massaging attachment, said massaging attachment including a sup port shaft, said rod being substantially vertically disposed, one end of said shaft slidingly received in said hollow end of said rod, the other end of said shaft having a transversely extending support element secured thereto for supporting a jointed portion of a patients limb.

9. The combination of claim 3, including a massaging attachment, said massaging attachment including a support shaft, said rod being substantially vertically disposed, one end of said shaft slidingly received in said hollow end of said rod, a support arm, means on the other end of said shaft pivotally securing one end of said support arm thereto for movement about an axis extending transversely of said shaft, a swivel assembly carried by the other end of said support arm, and a massaging head connected with said swivel assembly and swivelly mounted on the other end of said support arm.

10. The combination of claim 9, wherein said pivotal securing means includes means for frictionally retaining said support arm in adjusted pivoted positions.

11. A bioscillator for gently massaging and vibrating limbs and other areas of persons having stiif or sore muscles or the like comprising a stand, an elongated support member, a vibrator, means rigidly securing said vibrator to said support member, means on said support member adapted to have a massaging attachment attached thereto, and resilient flexible support means secured between said stand and support member comprising the sole support for the latter and supporting said support member on said stand in floating relation relative to said stand, said stand including portions defining an opening, said support means comprising a resilient flexible diaphragm secured across said opening, said support member being secured to said diaphragm a spaced distance from said portions of said stand defining said opening.

12. The combination of claim 11 wherein said vibrator is carried by one end portion of said support member and said attaching means is carried by the other end portion of said support member, said support means being secured to a mid portion of said support member intermediate said vibrator and attaching means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

